Neil Spencer 

The Jolly Boys: Great Expectation

Neil Spencer enjoys mento reworkings of Blondie, the Doors and Amy Winehouse
  
  


There's already no contest for cover version of the year; it's Amy's "Rehab", as delivered by the champions of Jamaican mento, the calypso-flavoured folk precursor of reggae. Fronted by the charismatic, gravel-voiced Albert Minott, the Port Antonio veterans apply their banjo 'n' maracas shuffle to another dozen numbers from the rock canon; songs by Blondie, the Doors, Iggy Pop and more. The results are erratic, if always charming. Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" fits their earthy style perfectly, and Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" is transformed into a lilting Caribbean reflection.

 

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